Sliding windows with operators therefor



Oct. 13, 1964 w. M. P. STUART sunmc wmnows WITH OPERATORS THEREFOR FiledJan. 19, 1962 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 T R A Wm MR N 1. M D .L E F H H w HTTORNWS Oct. 13, 1964 w. M. P. STUART SLIDI NG WINDOWS WITH OPERATORSTHEREFOR 3 SheetsSheet 2 Filed Jan. 19, 1962 mew/70R WHITFIELD M. P.STUART I-7TTOK Oct. 13, 1964 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Jan. 19, 1962INVEAITOK WHITFIELD M. P. STUART HTWEN J United States Patent Otlice$352,358 Patented Get. 13, 1964 3,152,363 SEEING WE'IDGWS Wi I-I QPEs.TGRS T-IIEREFSR Whitfield M. P. Stuart, 5919 St, North Burnaby, BritishQoiurnbia, (Ianada Filed Jan. 19, 1962, No. it; ,274 14 Claims. (U.2-9-52) This invention relates to sliding windows with operatorstherefor, said windows being either the sash or sashless type.

An object of the present invention is the provision of either a singletype or double type sliding window with a very simple operator thereforby means of which the win dow or windows may be quickly and easilyopened and shut.

Another object is the provision of a sliding window with an operatortherefor so arranged that the sliding pane may be quickly and easilyremoved for cleaning purposes.

Another object is to provide a sliding window which is operated by arack and pinion, is of simple and durable construction and which may beeconomically manufactured.

Another object is to provide a sliding window in which no pressure isexerted on the window from the side opposite the mechanism for movingthe sliding window.

Another object is to provide a sliding window in which the drivingmechanism for moving the window is held in place below the bottom of thepane.

Another object is to provide a sliding window in which the glass panesof the window are not hung or fixed but are loose and removable and thesliding pane rests in a driving rack.

Another object is to provide a sliding window in which the sliding panesof the windows are driven by a rack and pinion which are not attached tothe panes, and in which a locking device is provided on the drivingshaft.

Another object is to provide a sliding window in which the rack foroperating the sliding panes is held against the pinion by a retainer onone side and the fixed pane on the other side of the sliding pane.

These objects are accomplished by providing a rack in the form of a trayin which the sliding pane of the window rests. The rack slides with thepane in a groove in the window sill and is retained in position by thefixed pane on the outer side and a retainer on the inner side of thesliding pane. A shaft is supported by the sill and has a handle on theinner end and a pinion or pinions on its outer part. The pinion ismounted so as to engage the teeth of the rack and so move the slidingpane to the positions desired. A locking device is mounted on the Tunerpart of the shaft for locking the sliding pane in the position desired.In the sash type sliding panes the rack may be mounted on the sash forcontact with the pinion on the driving shaft.

Examples of this invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawings,in which:

FIGURE 1 is a reduced perspective view of one form of sliding windowwith an operator therefor;

FIGURE 2 is an exploded perspective view of the sill of the window withparts of the operator associated therewith;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged cross section taken substantially on the line3-3 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary perspective View of this window;

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary perspective view of an alternative form ofwindow and the operator therefor;

FIGURE 6 is a vertical section taken substantially on the line 6-6 ofFIGURE 5;

FIGURE 7 is a front elevation of the operator of the window of FIGURES 5and 6;

FIGURE 8 is a perspective view of part of a window pane which may beused with the operator of FIGURES 1 to 4;

FIGURE 9 is a fragmentary perspective view of an alternative part forthe operator of FIGURES 1 to 4;

FIGURE 10 is a sectional view of a modification of the part shown inFIGURE 9;

FIGURE 11 is a sectional view of another modifica tion of the part shownin FIGURE 9;

FIGURE 12 is a cross section through the lower part of yet anotheralternative form of window and operator therefor; and

FIGURE 13 is a vertical section taken on the line 13- 13 of FIGURE 12.

Referring to FIGURES 1 to 4 of the drawings, 10 is a sashless windowincorporating one form of the present invention. This window includes aframe consisting of a sill 12, jambs I3 and 14, and a header 16. Thereference numeral 18 generally designates the operator for window It).

In order to accommodate the panes for window 10 and the operatortherefor, sill 12 is formed in its upper surface with spaced, parallelgrooves 20 and 21 extending longitudinally from end to end thereof. Atransverse groove 24 is cut through sill I substantially midway betweenthe end thereof and extends from the front to the back of the sill. Thebottom 25 of transverse groove 24 is lower than the bottoms of grooves20 and 21.

Window 10 is a double window and is so described herein, but it could bea single window. Grooves 20 and 21 are identical and are made toaccommodate inner and outer windows, respectively, and as these areidentical, one only, namely, the inner window, will be described indetail, the same numerals being used on the identical parts of the twoportions of the window. The parts of the operator for the two sectionsof the window are identical, and they are shown in association with acommon operating shaft so that the parts for the inner window sectiononly will be described in detail. Although the inner and outer sectionsof the window may be operated by a single operator shaft, it will beunderstood that each window section may have its own independentoperator.

Each of the window sections includes a stationary pane 3% and ahorizontally slidable pane 32. A side edge and the top edge of pane fitin grooves and 36 formed in jamb 13 and header 16, respectively.Similarly, a side edge and the top edge of pane 32 fit in grooves 39 and4% in jarnb 1 and header 16. The lower edge of stationary pane 39 restson the bottom of a groove or recess 3 formed in sill 12 at the top ofgroove 20 and extending along one side thereof. By referring to FIGURE3, it will be seen that the lower edge of pane 30 partially overlapsgroove 29. The lower edge of pane 32 rests on a rack which slidablyextends along the bottom of groove 20.

Rack 45 has a stop 4-6 at each end thereof, these stops causing pane 32to move with the rack. The rack has transverse teeth 43 extending alongand projecting downwardly from the bottom thereof, and it is preferabieto provide flanges 49 and 59 depending from the rack bottom along sidesthereof. Rack 45 is provided with a relatively short side wall 52 whichslidably extends beneath the stationary pane 36, see FIGURE 3, and withan opposed side wall 53 which is higher than wall 52 and has anoutwardly projecting flange 54 along its upper end which fits into arecess or notch 56 formed in sill 12 along the upper edge of groove 2t?opposed to the groove or recess 43. A retainer 58 formed of metal,plastic or other suitable material, is removably mounted on the uppersurface of sill 12 by suitable means, such as a screw 59. This retainerfits over flange 54 of rack 45 and removably retains the latter inposition within the sill groove 20.

Operator 18 also includes a plate 62. fitting in transverse groove 24and secured to sill 12 by suitable fastening means, such as screws 64extending through holes in lateral ears 65 and 66 which project from theplate over the upper surface of the sill between the inner and outersections of window 10. This plate is bent to form two identical grooves7t therein, one for each of the inner and outer sections of the window.The grooves 74 are aligned with sill grooves 20 and 21, and each groove7%) has a bottom 71 which is below the level of the bottom of the sillgroove in which said groove 79 is located. The plate is also formed withgrooves or recesses 73 and 74 at the top of groove 74? and which arepositioned to align with sill grooves 43 and 56. With this arrangement,rack 45 extends through plate groove 70 spaced above the bottom 71thereof, stationary pane 30 extends along the plate groove 73, andmovable pane 32 extends along plate groove 74.

Plate 62 is bent downwardly to form a front panel 78 which closes offthe adjacent end of transverse groove 24, and if said groove extendscompletely from the front to the back of sill 12, plate 62 is bentdownwardly at its opposite end to form a back panel 79 closing theopposite end of said transverse groove. In this example, the sup portingplate 62 has two spaced parallel grooves 70 formed therein. Alignedholes 81 are formed in the walls that constitute the sides of the twogrooves 76 and in front panel .78, and a shaft 84 is journalled in saidholes and projects through a casing or block 86 mounted on the outersurface of panel 78. Suitable means is provided for releasably lockingshaft 84 against rotation. In this example, the shaft is provided with aplurality of annularly arranged depressions 89 in the portion thereofwithin block 86, and a locking bolt or set screw 90 is threaded in saidblock and adapted to be rotated to be moved into and out of saiddepressions. A suitable handle 92 is mounted on the end of shaft 84, andis secured thereto in any desired manner, such as-by means of a setscrew 93.

A pinion 96 is mounted on shaft 84 in each plate groove 70 and mesheswith the teeth 48 of rack 45 thereabove. The pinion fits between flanges49 and 50 of the rack, and a spring 98 mounted on shaft 84 betweenpinion 96 and the adjacent wall of plate groove 70 presses against saidpinion. and normally urges rack 45 and, consequently, pane 32 inwardlywith respect to window as a whole, thus separating said pane slightlyfrom. the stationary pane ,30. 7 a a Y r As stated above, pane 32 restsupon rack 45 and is movable therewith longitudinally of sill 12. Thislongitudinal movement is achieved by turning handle or crank 92.to causepinion 96 to shift the rack in accordance with the direction of rotationof shaft 84. In this example, the turning of handle 92 and the rotationof shaft 84 shifts the panes 32 of the inner and outer sections of thewindow simultaneously between the closed and fully open positions ofwindow 10. If desired, two operators 18 may be provided, in which casethe shaft 84 of one would have a pinion 96 for the inner section of thewindow, while the corresponding shaft of the other would have a pinionfor the outer section of the window so that the inner and outer movablepanes may be moved independently of each other. In any case, when it isdesired to open or close the window, set screw 9h is turned outwardly sothat it is free of shaft 84. l/Vhen it is desired to lock the movablepane or panes in a set position, screw 9%} is turned in to engage one ofthe depressions 89 in the shaft so that the latter cannot be rotated.

Operator 13 is a very simple mechanism for opening and closing windowit). If it is desired to clean the panes 3i) and 32, it is onlynecessary to loosen screw 59 to permit retainer 58 to be swung fromabove flange 54 of rack 45. Then pane 32 may be lifted upwardlysufliciently to clear the rack, groove 49 being deep enough to permitthis, so that it may be swung out of the window. It is now possible tolift pane 3d upwardly and then to swing it out of the window. Ifdesired, rack 45 may be lifted out of place in order that the sill andplate grooves may be cleaned.

FIGURES S, 6 and 7 illustrate a horizontally movable pane 11% having asash 111 fixedly connected to the lower edge thereof. A similarstationary pane, not shown, is provided in the window in overlappedrelationship with pane 119 in accordance with standard practice. A rack113 is fixedly secured to sash 111 and has downwardly projecting teeth115 along its lower surface which is inclined upwardly and outwardlywith respect to sash 111 as viewed in FIGURE 6. An upright member orwall 116 is secured to the window sill 117 and overlaps sash 111. Acasing 12% is fixedly mounted on member 116 beneath rack 113 and has aninclined top 122. A shaft 124 is journaled in an opening 125 formed intop 122, and has a pinion 126 on its inner end within casing 120 meshingwith the teeth of rack 113. A handle 123 is fixedly mounted on the outerend of said shaft.

Suitable locking means is provided for shaft 124. In this example, alocking plate 132 is threaded on threads 133 formed on said shaft, saidplate bearing against the casing top 122. A fingertip 135 projectsoutwardly from plate 132. When this fingertip is in the position shownin full lines in FIGURE 7, locking plate 132 is in the releasedposition. \Vhen the fingertip is moved into the position shown in brokenlines in FIGURE 7, the plate draws pinion 126 against the undersurfaceof top 122 thereby preventing rotation of said pinion.

When locking plate 132 is released, window pane 110 is shifted alongsill 117 by turning handle 128; If it is desired to remove this pane forcleaning, it is only necessary to shift the pane upwardly until rack 113clears pinion 12.6, at which time the pane may be swung out of'theWindow.

The window 143 of FIGURES l to 4 is a sashless type of window. FIGURE 8illustrates a movable pane having a sash which may be used in a windowhaving operator 18 of window 10. In this example, a slidable pane ismounted in a sash 142 which is U-shaped in cross section. This sashrests in the upper part of an H-shaped holder 144, and-in the lower partof this holder is located a rack 146 having teeth 147 formed therein.

Holder 144 and its rack 146 slidably fit into a groove cut in the sillof the window, said groove corresponding to groove 21) of window 111- Apinion 96 of operator 18 meshes with the teeth 147 of rack 146 so thatthe pane 140 may be moved by the handle of the operator.

FIGURE 9 illustrates a rack 45a having a bottom 150 with openings 151formed therein to create teeth 152 therebetween, Rack 4511 may besubstituted for rack 45 of Window, 10.

FIGURE 10 shows a rack 45b having a bottom 155 with holes 156 punchedout of it. The material removed from the holes is bent downwardly toform teeth 157 to be engaged by pinion 96 when rack 45b is substitutedfor rack 45. FIGURE 11 illustrates a rack 45c having a bottom 160 whichis pressed laterally thereof to form teeth 161.

FIGURES 12 and 13 illustrate a sashless window having an operatorsimilar to that of FIGURES 5 to 7. In this example, a sill 170 has agroove 171 extending from end to end of the upper surface thereof. AU-shaped channel 175 is slidably mounted in this groove, and a movablepane 177 rests within this channel. A stationary pane 179 fits in anL-shaped channel 180 which also fits in sill groove 171. A rack 182extends upwardly and inwardly from channel 175 and has teeth 183 alongthe bottom thereof. A pinion 185 meshes with these teeth, said pinionbeing fixedly mounted on a shaft 186 carried by a supporting block 187mounted in a notch 188 cut in the upper surface of sill 179. The bottomof this notch is inclined in a plane substantially parallel to theinclined plane of rack 132. A handle 190 is fixedly mounted on the endof shaft 136 by means of which said shaft and the pinion may be rotated.Suitable locking means, not shown, similar to that of the operator ofFIGURES l to 4 or of FIGURES 5 to 7, may be employed.

A U-shaped spacer strip 194 fits over the inner edge 195 of pane 177 andextends from the upper edge of channel 275 to the top of thewindow-frame, not shown. This strip is fixed to pane 177 and movestherewith, and forms a spacer between said pane and stationary pane 179.

Pane 177 is moved between the closed and open positions by turninghandle 199. This turns pinion 135 and shifts rack 182 longitudinally inaccordance with the direction of rotation. Pane 177 may be removed forcleaning merely by lifting it clear of trough 175, at which time it maybe swung out of the window. Once this is done, pane 179 is lifted clearof bracket 18% and swung out of the window-frame. Channel 175 andbracket 13%) may then be removed from sill 179.

What I claim as my invention is:

l. A window comprising a window frame including a sill, said sill havinggrooves extending longitudinally thereof, a stationary pane in onegroove, 21 rack mounted for movement along another groove parallel toand beside the first-mentioned groove, said rack being connected to amovable pane, a transverse groove formed in the sill and extendingacross the grooves thereof, a supporting plate in said transverse grooveand having grooves aligned with the sill grooves, a shaft rotatablycarried by said plate and in the transverse groove and extendinginwardly from the window, and a pinion mounted on and rotatable with theshaft and meshing with the rack, whereby rotation of the shaft andpinion moves the rack and slides the movable pane relative to thestationary pane.

2. A window as claimed in claim 1 in which the rack is mounted beneaththe movable pane and carries said pane.

3. A window as claimed in claim 1 including means for locking the shaftagainst rotation to prevent movement of the movable pane.

4. A window as claimed in claim 1 in which the rack is removably mountedin its groove, and including a keeper mounted on the supporting platefor releasably retaining said rack in the groove thereof.

5. A window comprising a window frame including a sill, said sill havinggrooves extending longitudinally thereof, inner and outer windowsections in the frame, each window section including a stationary panein a sill groove and a movable pane in another groove, a rack mountedfor movement along a groove under each movable pane and upon which thelatter rests, means on each rack to cause the pane thereon to movetherewith, a transverse groove formed in the sill and extending acrossthe grooves thereof, a supporting plate in said transverse groove andhaving grooves aligned with the sill grooves, a shaft rotatably carriedby said plate and in the transverse groove and extending inwardly of thewindow, and a pinion mounted on and rotatable with the shaft and meshingwith each rack, whereby rotation of the shaft 6 and pinions moves theracks and slides the movable panes simultaneously relative to thestationary panes.

6. A window comprising a window frame consisting of a sill, jambs and aheader having longitudinal grooves in their inner edges, a sliding paneand a fixed pane supported in the said grooves, a central transversegroove in the upper side of said sill, a transverse plate of the sameform as said transverse groove and fitted in the transverse groove, arack mounted in the said longitudinal groove in the sill on which thesliding pane rests and extending along the sliding pane, a shaft mountedin the said transverse plate below the rack, a handle conmeeting to theinner end of said shaft, a locking means mounted near the inner end ofthe shaft for locking said shaft and the sliding pane in desiredposition, and a retainer mounted on the inner top side of the sillresting against the sliding pane and the upper side of the rack formaintaining them in position.

7. A window as defined in claim 6 in which the said rack is U-shapedwith its ends bent upwardly to provide a tray for supporting the slidingpane and is provided with teeth openings in the bottom of the rack forengaging the pinion, and the upper inside edge of the rack is formedwith a flange extending beneath the said retainer for maintaining therack and sliding pane in position.

8. A window as defined in claim 6 in which said retainer consists of ahorizontal part and a vertical part, and the horizontal part is fastenedto the transverse plate and sill at the top inner side.

9. A window as defined in claim 6 in which the said transverse plate isprovided with aligned openings in its sides extending longitudinally ofthe sill and through which the shaft extends.

10. A window comprising a window frame including a sill, said sillhaving grooves extending longitudinally thereof, a stationary pane inone groove, a rack mounted for movement along another groove parallel toand beside the first-mentioned groove, said rack being formed with anupwardlyopening channel of substantially U- shape cross section, amovable pane sitting in and removable in a vertical direction from thechannel of the rack, a transverse groove formed in the sill andextending across the grooves thereof, a supporting plate in saidtransverse groove and having grooves aligned with the sill grooves, ashaft rotatably connected by said plate in the transverse groove andextending beneath the rack, and a pinion mounted on and rotatable withthe shaft and meshing with the rack, whereby rotation of the shaft andpinion moves the rack and slides the movable pane relative to thestationary pane.

11. A window as claimed in claim 10 including means for locking theshaft against rotation to prevent movement of the rack and the movablepane.

12. A window comprising a window frame including a sill, said sillhaving a main groove extending longitudinally thereof and first andsecond shallow grooves extending along opposite sides of the main groovenear the top of the latter groove, a stationary pane in said firstshallow groove, a rack mounted for movement along the main groove, saidrack being of channel shape in cross section and having a flange along aside thereof extending outwardly from the rack into said second shallowgroove, a movable pane sitting in and removable in a vertical directionfrom the channel of the rack, a transverse groove formed in the sill andextending across the grooves thereof, a supporting plate in saidtransverse groove and having grooves aligned with the sill grooves, akeeper movably mounted on the supporting plate is movable over the rackflange to prevent the rack from moving upwardly out of the main groove,a shaft r0- tatably carried by said plate and in the transverse grooveand extending inwardly from the window, and a pinion mounted on androtatable with the shaft and meshing with the rack, whereby rotation ofthe shaft and pinion 6' moves the rack and slides the movable panerelative to the stationary pane.

13. A window as claimed in claim 12 in which said keeper has an upwardlyextending projection Which when the keeper lies over the rack preventsthe movable pane from being lifted out of the rack channel and swungaway from the stationary pane.

14. A window as claimed in claim 10 in which the rack is formed withteeth projecting downwardly therefrom, said rack having dependingflanges extending along opposite ends of said teeth, and includingspring means bearing against the pinion tending to move the rack and thepane carried thereby in a direction laterally of the rack and away fromthe stationary pane.

' References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

1. A WINDOW COMPRISING A WINDOW FRAME INCLUDING A SILL, SAID SILL HAVINGGROOVES EXTENDING LONGITUDINALLY THEREOF, A STATIONARY PANE IN ONEGROOVE, A RACK MOUNTED FOR MOVEMENT ALONG ANOTHER GROOVE PARALLEL TO ANDBESIDE THE FIRST-MENTIONED GROOVE, SAID RACK BEING CONNECTED TO AMOVABLE PANE, A TRANSVERSE GROOVE FORMED IN THE SILL AND EXTENDINGACROSS THE GROOVES THEREOF, A SUPPORTING PLATE IN SAID TRANSVERSE GROOVEAND HAVING GROOVES ALIGNED WITH THE SILL GROOVES, A SHAFT ROTATABLYCARRIED BY SAID PLATE AND IN THE TRANSVERSE GROOVE AND EXTENDINGINWARDLY FROM THE WINDOW, AND A PINION MOUNTED ON AND ROTATABLE WITH THESHAFT AND MESHING WITH THE RACK, WHEREBY ROTATION OF THE SHAFT ANDPINION MOVES THE RACK AND SLIDES THE MOVABLE PANE RELATIVE TO THESTATIONARY PANE.